West Herr Ford, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
West Herr Employees' Retirement Plan
Blasdell, NYRetail Trade2,976 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$613Employer $ per active participant
$4,558Employee $ saved per active participant
0.12%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$176.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$89,224Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity23.9 / 5048th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.4 / 2550th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.9 / 1586th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score52 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 48th |
| Lower admin cost | 50th |
| Employee saving | 86th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- West Herr Ford put in about $613 per active participant, below the typical peer ($650). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $1,825,769 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $13,563,311 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,149,635 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $202,808 |
| Contract administrator fees | $300 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $180,387 |
| Benefits paid out | $12,830,898 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $154.3M / $176.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,800 / 3,152 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,978 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Jeffrey L Offhaus CPA LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Sandhill Investment Management | $180,387 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $22,421 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250721145501NAL0001324673001, received 2025-07-21, EIN 16-0738496, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.